Front-Line Management during Radical Organisational Change: Social Exchange and Paradox Interpretations

Bassam Buhusayen, Pi-Shen Seet and Alan Coetzer
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Bassam Buhusayen: School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Pi-Shen Seet: School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Alan Coetzer: School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-26

Abstract: External shocks have severely affected the aviation sector with detrimental impacts on airport service employees. Service-sector organizations tend to implement radical organizational change to survive and front-line managers face often-opposing demands. This study aims to shed light on how front-line managers cope by utilizing social exchange-based strategies during radical organizational change. This study uses an exploratory qualitative design and thematically analyses data obtained from 40 semi-structured interviews with senior managers, front-line managers and employees working for an airline services provider operating in a major international airport in Australia. The study finds that front-line managers employ several social exchange approaches to overcome the paradoxical challenge of facilitating change while maintaining current operations. We find evidence of four approaches that the front-line managers utilize that are based on social exchange: (1) building relationships with clients’ representatives; (2) utilizing relationships with experienced employees to facilitate radical organizational change practices; (3) rewarding employees in exchange for helping to manage personnel shortages; and (4) motivating employees by various morale-enhancing techniques. The study contributes to organizational sustainability and change research by developing a deeper understanding of the importance of social exchange in facilitating the work of front-line managers in the airport services sector.

Keywords: social exchange theory; paradox theory; external shocks; airport services; front-line managers; organizational sustainability and change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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